There For Life
by xMissWhitneyBexx
Summary: Lithan story! *Lily Chao felt ashamed, disgusted and every other word in the dictionary which meant 'How could I do this to myself'. After Zoe's hen party leave without her, she decides to have a little party of her own, ultimately bringing her to three months later when she stares at the tests.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, I'm new to the Casualty fandom but I'm not for Holby City. I've been watching HC for years and can possibly recite stuff but I've only just started watching Casualty this year and I'm enjoying it too. I've especially come to love the dynamic of Ethan Hardy and Lily Chao so this story is based on Lily because I know someone exactly like her, high achiever and strives for the best but this person has me as a friend lol. Not obviously saying that Lily doesn't have friends because she has Ethan. Anyway I'm going to stop my rambling. Just to say, I'm not entirely sure who is dead or not as of recent episodes so to state, Dylan and Charlie are both alive (Charlie is in a coma) in this story to cease confusion for me and you guys. Anyway, onto the story. It's set when Lily gets left behind on Zoe's hen party and she decides to have a little party of her own, leading to shocking events.**

* * *

I remember that night three months ago as I stared down at the test, biting my lip...

 _* **Three Months Ago***_

 _I quickly ran outside, hoping to catch the limo but it drove away, leaving me dejected by the entrance of the hospital. I called out weakly, sighing._

 _I spotted Honey and Ethan and stopped myself from lashing out at them when they smiled at me. I simply gave a nod and walked back in, trying not to let my embarrassment get the best of me._

 _"Dr. Chao?" I turned around and found Connie doing the buttons up on her coat. "I thought that you were going to the party?"_

 _I shrugged. "Limo left before I could get there."_

 _She nodded and walked the two metres up to me. "How about we have a little party of our own? Congratulate you on getting the role of Registrar."_

 _I smiled and nodded._

 _"Let's head to my office." she smiled, leading the way._

 _We ended up bitching about some of our colleagues. I think I must have blurted that I was in love with Ethan because Connie's eyes widened slightly as she put down her fourth glass of champagne._

 _"Ethan Hardy? As in Caleb Knight's brother? Blonde? Glasses?" she asked, slightly shocked._

 _I gulped down my champagne. "Yep, that's the one." I slurred slightly. "He's... he's a potential boyfriend_ and _husband material_. _My parents would have liked him and I work well with him."_

 _"I kind of suspected." Connie said gently. "You were so concerned about his well being when the acc-" she paused as I closed my eyes tightly._

 _"I could have lost him." I said hoarsely. She stopped herself further on that matter. It was a hard day for everyone especially since we lost Jeff, nearly lost Ethan and Ash. I also remembered myself hyperventilating and screaming- my mind stopped rushing with unwelcome thoughts as I remembered that Connie was there._

 _Connie leaned forward, placing a hand on my knee. "I'm sorry to say this but he looks in love with Noel's daughter."_

 _"I know. He ditched a date with me for her." I said, bitterly._

 _Connie's mouth opened and no words came out. She instead poured me another glass. "One more and you should get home. The wedding's tomorrow."_

 _"I don't even want to come knowing that Ethan and his ditch buddy are going to be all loved up." I cringed_

 _"It's not for them. It's for Zoe and Max." she sighed. "So, let's talk about something else."_

 _Twenty minutes later, I was in a cab, heading home but I decided to take detour and found myself standing in front of a night club. I wasn't one for them but I wanted to see how the other half lived._

 _It wasn't long until I was dancing and a man ended up pressed against my back. At first, fear etched inside my stomach at the thought of dancing with a stranger but he seemed nice enough. Told me his name was Zack and he was trying to get over a girl. Told him I was Lily and I was trying to get over a guy._

 _We both laughed and he bought me a drink. Coke and Vodka. He was American and was going back home tomorrow._

 _"How about we take this back to yours? It's a bit too loud in here!" he said an hour later as the music increased._

 _"Okay!" I yelled back at him, grabbing his hand and leading the way out of the door. The bouncer nodded at us and Zack hailed for a cab whilst his arm slipped tightly around my waist, keeping me upright as my legs suddenly felt like jelly._

 _I started to giggle, shocked at myself that I could even giggle. He smiled at me and helped me get inside the taxi and slipped in after me._

 _I told the driver my address and the taxi started to move as Zack's hand found itself rubbing my thigh. I gulped, trying not to show either disgust or desire._

 _When we got to my apartment, things became more hazier and I remember waking up with a headache and a note from Zack, telling me that he had to go and catch his flight. He also wrote that he enjoyed our night and it was a shame that we would never see each other._

 _Good riddance!, I had thought. I felt disgusted at myself for being subjected to a one night stand. That wasn't me. And I was intent on forgetting all about it._

Tears dripped onto my lenses and I stood up from my toilet, putting the three positive tests behind the knobs on the sink. I resisted the urge to vomit again but I ended up clutching the toilet sides, everything from my stomach ending up in the bowl. I brushed my teeth and gurgled mouthwash before wiping my face with a face cloth and throwing it inside the hamper.

There was a knock on the front door and I opened it to find Zoe. "Dr. Hanna? Is-Is everything alright?" I asked, letting her in.

"You tell me, Lily." she replied softly. She sat down on my sofa and patted the space beside her.

"I really must get ready for my shift in three hours." I said, sitting beside her.

"You really mustn't." she sighed. "People have noticed that you've been unwell these past couple of weeks. Are you okay?"

I faked a smile. "I am. I've just got over a stomach bug but trust me, I'm okay now." I whispered, trying to prevent more tears from leaking.

"I want you to take a sick day just in case. You never know with these 'bugs'." she said pointedly. "You can tell me anything, you know?"

"I know. Is it okay if I refer to you as Dr. Walker?" I blushed. I had heard multiple people call her that but I opted to go for Hanna in case she was uncomfortable but as the months grew by, she seemed to suit her new surname more.

Zoe smiled. "Of course but you can call me Zoe if you like." she assured me.

"Okay, Zoe."

She stood up and gestured behind her. "Is it okay if I use your bathroom, I've been bursting for ages."

I chuckled. "Yeah, third door on the left."

She smiled at me and headed towards the toilet. I put my legs up and hugged my knees, slightly content with our conversation but a call drew me out from my thoughts and my eyes widened as Zoe exited the bathroom with my three tests in hand.

* * *

 **Hope you like it! x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Back with another chapter! x**

* * *

We both just stared at the tests in her hand. I felt sick. Disappointed. Embarrassed.

"Lily... are these yours?" she asked.

I could lie. Say it was a non-existent sister's or a cousin's but I swallowed my pride and looked my superior in the eyes. "They are. I found out today."

"Oh Lily..." Zoe sighed, bringing me in a hug. "Was it planned or unexpected? I'm not sure whether to congratulate you or not."

I gulped. "Repercussions of a one night stand." I said, my voice breaking as tears slipped down my face. "Papa and Mama are going to be so disappointed in me. Like if they aren't already." I cried.

"What are you going to do?" Zoe asked, seating us down.

I shrugged, wiping my nose with my sleeve. "I don't know." I replied watery. "I'm so ashamed of myself and-and disgusted and I hate myself for this."

Zoe shook her head, cupping my cheeks so that I could face her. "Sh, don't say that about yourself! You do not hate yourself. You just... this is unfortunate." she sighed.

"I'm a doctor. I've just been promoted to a registrar. For years and years I have tried to please my father and I hoped that he would be proud that I was a registrar and very good at it. But now... this is more shame upon our family. I am an embarrassment and I should just..." I didn't get far because I erupted in sobs.

I had never been more scared than I was in that moment. My head was pressed against Zoe's chest and my glasses were lopsided on my face as my body curled up in a foetal position. How ironic.

"Do you know who the father is?"

"Vaguely. He was blonde. His name was Zack. He was sweet, you know? He wore glasses and he was a little bit taller than me. He told me that he was American and he was also a doctor. He was smart and cunning. He was funny and handsome. We got chatting in the night club."

"Sounds a bit like someone we know, doesn't he?" Zoe gently asked.

I buried my face deeper into her chest so she wouldn't see my blushing cheeks. "Ethan." I responded.

"I can tell you're in love with him, sweetheart."

I shook my head. Not denying but I had to explain to her. "I'm trying to get over him. Maybe that's why my body possessed me into having an one night stand with a guy who was like him." I sobbed. "I feel sick." I rushed to the toilet and threw up again.

"I'll go see if you have something dry to eat, okay?"

I was thankful that she left me alone to wallow in self-pity. She knew me well enough to know that I didn't want help.

Zoe spent a couple of hours with me, helping me come up with a plan of action. She had to go back for her shift but promised to drop by later in the night to check up on me. I trusted her and I trusted Connie but I think that Connie would be disappointed and ashamed. She was more like a mother to me since my real one never really took a interest in my life.

I read four books. I ate more toast and biscuits, thankful that Zoe was going to come back with food shopping. I drank chamomile tea. I read two more books.

Soon, it was nine o'clock in the night and I heard the familiar knocking of Zoe Hanna-Walker. I opened the door with a small smile and was shocked to see Ethan behind Zoe.

"I was so worried about you, Lily!" he said, hugging me. Zoe closed the door behind them and headed to the kitchen. "When Zoe explained that you weren't coming in because you were sick, I just had to check on you myself."

I smiled lightly. "I'm okay, Ethan. _Really_." I assured him, gesturing for him to take a seat.

"Are you sure? Because I brought some home made soup my Great Aunt Agnes used to make me when I was sick." he replied, holding up a Tesco carrier bag for me to see the flask inside.

I took it, appreciating him for his effort. "Thank you." I mumbled, heading for the kitchen to put the flask in the fridge. I hadn't realised he had followed until Zoe addressed him.

"Ethan, why don't you help set up the table for us to eat?"

Ethan nodded. "Of course." he said, accepting the plates and cutlery from Zoe and leaving the kitchen.

I turned to her. "Wouldn't Max miss you?" I asked.

Zoe shook her head, smiling. "He's still at work and I've explained to him that you're unwell."

"Nothing else?" I asked, hoping that I wasn't going to be the centre of gossip central when I came back to work.

"Of course nothing else." Zoe assured me. "Only Connie knows."

"Not even Ethan?" I whispered.

"Not even Ethan." Zoe said, sticking her home made lasagne into the oven. "You will have to eventually tell him and everyone."

"Or I could transfer hospitals." I mumbled.

Zoe sighed, rubbing my arm. "Do not be embarrassed by this. Ethan's your best friend, he would understand."

"Only if that brunette bimbo doesn't have him in her vices." I muttered darkly.

Zoe sighed again. "Honey's nice. And... maybe you were right in thinking of moving on. And... normally I wouldn't condone lying but you could say that you met someone and you're in a happy relationship with him and that's why you guys thought it was high time you had a child."

I chuckled darkly. "When would I even have the time for a relationship, better yet, a child?" I said. "I've decided to have this child but I will be giving it up for adoption. That way, everyone stays happy, including my parents."

I heard a glass shattering as Zoe and I turned from the oven to Ethan's shocked state. My heart lurched and I felt as if it had stopped beating.

"You're-you're pregnant?" he whispered.

I couldn't take it. I felt like sinking into a black hole and never seeing everyone again. Instead, I pushed past him and ran to my bedroom, shutting the door and locking it quickly. There, I slid down said door and started sobbing as Zoe banged on the door.

...

I had been crying for _hours_ and had yet to stop. It was past 12 AM in the morning and I had yet to hear the front door open and close. Eventually it did and I received a text on my phone. It was from Zoe.

 **From: Zoe Hanna-Walker**

 **To: Lily Chao**

 **I had to go home since Max is back there. Ethan's laid out your food and is patiently waiting. He has decided not to go to work today to talk things out with you. I will see you later on before work and then again after work. DO talk to Ethan because like me, he's there for you.**

 **See you later. -Zoe**

I sighed and finally stopped crying and stared hiccuping. Look at me. I'm 26 years old and I'm a pregnant nobody in sweatpants and an old university top.

There was a knock on the door and I got up, opening it. Ethan brought his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest.

"Oh, Lily..." he mumbled. "What happened?"

"Get me some food and I'll tell you." I said numbly as I left his arms and went to the dining table. I sat down and dug into my lasagne as Ethan sat across from me, picking at his own. "Why aren't you with Honey?"

Ethan shrugged. "She's at work."

"Tea ladies work late?" I asked surprised.

"It's more for the late night shift doctors. Like us. If we were going to work." Ethan rambled.

"I get it." I said.

Ethan sighed and fidgeted in his seat. I knew what was coming next. "So... what happened?"

I sighed, clearing my throat. "I, Lily Chao, shamefully had an one night stand." I laughed bitterly at myself. "It was the day before Zoe and Max's wedding."

"Your first day as registrar?" Ethan asked.

I nodded, putting a bit of lasagne in my mouth and swallowing it. "Yeah. I was upset that I missed the limo to the hen party. I'm not a bitch, you know? I do want to have friends but... work must come first and so must my parents' praise." I mumbled the last bit quietly. I ended up having a couple of drinks with Connie and headed home but first I stopped at a night club."

"A-a night club?" Ethan asked shocked.

Again, a nod in reply. "I started dancing and the next thing I know, a guy's buying me a drink and I take him home. I don't remember much after that."

Ethan bit his lip, pushing his plate away from him. "Are... are you going to keep it?"

I looked up at him, no emotion showing on my features. "Maybe... Okay, yes I am but I'll give it up for adoption."

"Why would you when you have loads of people's support?" he asked.

I scoffed. "Nobody knows except from Mrs Beauchamp, Zoe and now you. You're all the support that I need at the moment."

"Are you going to tell your-"

"Don't even go there, Ethan!" I warned. "My family do not tolerate shame. I don't know how I'll be able to tell them when they come over to stay next week." I whispered.

Ethan stood up and knelt in front of me. "I'm here for you, okay?"

I smiled lightly and looked away, tears threatening to fall.

"Listen, I'm going to ask Zoe if she could book a scan for you for an early hour so nobody knows, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." I mumbled.

"And, I'll help you with your parents."

I turned to face him. "How, Ethan?"

He blushed and pushed his glasses up his nose. It reminded me that mine were currently on my bedroom floor by the door.

"I'll pretend that we're together and I'm the baby's dad." he mumbled, taking my hand.

I just stared at him not knowing what to say.


	3. Chapter 3

**Two chapters will be posted at the same time! x**

* * *

It was 5 AM and only Connie, Dylan, Rita, Louise, Robyn and Lofty were in at the moment. Ethan led the way to the maternity ward and I knocked on Mr Thompson's office door and he opened it, a large smile on his face.

"Dr Chao! Come in, come in." he said, gesturing inside. He spotted Ethan behind me. "Oh, Dr Hardy, I didn't see you there. Can he...?"

I nodded, watching as Ethan came in as well. Mr T patted the bed and I got up, laying down on it. Ethan took a seat beside me and gave me a somewhat reassuring smile.

"I don't usually come in until nine but seeing as it was one of our own, I was glad to make an exception." Mr T said, striking up a conversation as he got the sonogram ready.

Ethan answered for us. "Well, we're both off work today. Normally we'd be at work in a couple of hours and end past midnight but Lily wasn't feeling too well so I'm here for her."

"What a good friend you are." Mr T smiled, taking the stick out from its socket. "Well, if you would like to-" he trailed off when he saw that I was already ready. "Well," he chuckled. "Somebody's eager."

I smiled lightly as cringed as the cold gel hit my stomach. "Before you ask, I'm three months and two weeks gone."

"And you're barely showing." Ethan smiled, taking my hand. I tried not to blush and fought the urge to pull away. It was wrong. He wasn't the father. Nor were we in a relationship.

"Okay, you are at fourteen weeks so let's see how baby is doing." Mr T said, searching the screen. "Baby is roughly 10 cm long, and has two arms, two legs and working organs and systems."

"That's... nice." I mumbled.

"We can't really tell the gender at this time but all you need to know is that baby's perfectly healthy."

I simply nodded, playing with Ethan's fingers nervously. "Do you know when we can know the gender?" I asked.

"When you're roughly about 18-20 weeks. Some cases, you can tell at fourteen weeks but that's not in this case." Mr T replied.

"You just have four more weeks or so to go." Ethan smiled at me. I could tell that he was excited but why? He wasn't the father of my child although it may very well resemble him slightly since I had a tendency to go after guys who looked the same but I thought that I was in this alone. After I've found out the gender of my baby, I will want to keep it but I can't.

I smiled falsely back and pursed my lips, listening to the baby's heartbeat. It was loud, oh, so loud.

"I would like a scan picture, please." I said quietly.

"Of course. I'll just print it off for you." Mr T stood up, clicking a button on the screen before leaving the room.

Ethan tightened his hold on my hand and smiled. "That went well didn't it? How about I take you out for breakfast?"

I shook my head. "I still feel horrible. I'd rather stay at home." I said, releasing our hands so that I could wipe the gel off my stomach.

"Then I will make you breakfast. I do make great pancakes."

I smiled a little and shrugged. "Sure, why not?" I asked, smiling gratefully as Mr T re-entered and gave me a envelope with a couple of scan photos inside.

We decided to visit Charlie after to see if there was any change in his current state. As usual, no change. The police were still looking for Louie so that he could be with his father. Judging by how they haven't found him already, Charlie is better off without him. Louie is a disaster waiting to happen time and time again. He nearly killed Ethan with his junkie state body. How dare he abandon his father at his time of need?

I tentatively placed a comforting hand on Charlie's and sighed, tears watering my eyes. Damn hormones.

"You okay?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah. Just, uh... hormones." I replied, withdrawing my hand and stuffing it in my pocket. "Let's go."

We walked though the ED and Robyn double backed when she saw us. "You're not supposed to be here today." she stated, shoving a pile of files on Lofty who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I just went to check with a doctor." I said, shrugging.

"But you _are_ a doctor." Robyn chuckled. "Have you gained weight?" she asked, staring at my stomach.

My eyes widened a little as I restrained myself from wrapping my arms around my stomach. "Urm, I've just been eating a lot lately since I barely ate before." I lied.

"Well, don't overwork yourself eating. You've just got to keep that beautiful figure."

I rolled my eyes and nodded subtly. "Let's go." I said to Ethan. We got into his car and he dropped me off at home. As soon as we entered, he went straight into the kitchen as I went into the spare bedroom of my apartment. It was plain. The cream coloured walls brought a comforting aura into the room since the simple white bed gave it drab. Soon, this would be a nursery. I hadn't even thought about a nursery let alone baby stuff. How was I going to do this? Be a mum and hold a successful career at the same time. I wanted to cry again as the fear crept up my stomach and into my throat.

I quickly rushed into the bathroom and threw up. I sighed when I felt myself stop retching and brushed my teeth then used mouthwash.

"Are you okay? I heard vomiting." Ethan asked, rushing in.

I waved him off, wiping my mouth and taking my glasses off to clean them. "I'm okay. God, I can't wait for that to end." I mumbled.

He smiled sadly and gave me a comforting rub on the arm. "Do you want anything?"

"Just those pancakes you promised us." I said, also referring to the baby. He smiled and left the bathroom, leaving me to my thoughts again.

My mind drifted to the fact that my parents were coming next week. Six more days to go... Ethan kindly offered to pretend for me but that will probably make things worse because they would ask why I didn't introduce them sooner. Sighing, I left the bathroom and patiently waited as Ethan dished out two plates of pancakes.

"I wasn't sure of how many you wanted so I gave you five." Ethan said, giving me my plate. The pancakes were small and equally made.

"They look great, thanks." I said, digging in with a fork. "By the way, we need to think of a background story for my parents."

"Oh." Ethan said, sipping his juice. "How about the usual 'we met at work and fell in love'?"

I cleared my throat. "Yeah." I agreed. "Then the next thing we know, we are two people expecting a-" I cut myself short and my heart started to beat hard in my chest.

Ethan reached across and took my hand in his. "Look, Lily... It's going to be okay. I-I know that I'm not the dad, obviously but... I'm willing to be there for him or her and you."

"You want to be this baby's father?" I retorted, taking my hand away from his. "What about Honey? Forgotten her?" I scoffed at him.

Ethan sighed, rubbing his head. "No, I haven't forgotten about Honey. We've been... things aren't so good between us at the moment since our argument but she doesn't matter because this is about you, me and the baby."

"Which is not yours." I clarified.

"I know that and you know that but this baby needs stability and I'm willing to help you give that to it."

Oh my God. Was he really doing this? What if this was Honey pregnant right now with _his_ child. What would he do then?

"What if this wasn't me pregnant? What if it was Honey's?" I whispered.

He opened his mouth but no words came out. Hesitating. He tried again and the words seemed strained. "I'll be there... for her even if it wasn't mine. But I've known you longer than I've known her and I know you well enough to see that you're going to need help to raise this child."

"What if I don't want to keep it?" I whispered fearfully. The thoughts went around my head more times than the full known number of pi did. That was impossible since it seemed infinitive.

"Lily, you say that now but in a month, you will say otherwise." Ethan assured me. "Sure having a baby wasn't the perfect idea in the early stages of your career choice but you will do just fine. Many women before you have done this and I suppose half of the children turn out fine." I chuckled, smiling. "I assure you, you would want to keep this baby since it will be a constant in your life."

I sighed, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly. "Thank you, Ethan." I whispered, on the verge of crying again. "I'm glad this baby has you for a father figure." I said, my voice cracking.

"I'm glad to be its father figure." Ethan said, kissing my head.


	4. Chapter 4

Announcing news was not always my forte. I had to tell everyone sooner or later since I was now showing as Robyn had helpfully pointed out. Going back to work after four days off was going to be awkward.

I pulled out black slacks and a nice white tank top inside my wardrobe and tried to put the trousers on but they wouldn't fit. I bit my lip and took it off throwing the clothes on the bed. Nope.

I looked inside my wardrobe again and spotted a black and light brown stripy halter top that looked baggy and a matching pencil skirt that reached the knees. It seemed to fit okay as I put them on. I looked further up my wardrobe and spotted the matching brown booties and tip-toed trying to reach it. These were pretty further up than I last remembered. Oh yeah, I used to use a shoebox to step on to help. Finding one discarded in the corner, I put it in front of my goal and stepped on it, trying to reach my shoes again.

"Woah! What are you doing?" I heard. I rolled my eyes and turned to find Ethan rushing in.

"Trying to reach my shoes."

"You could have called!" Ethan scolded slightly, easily getting the pair of shoes for me. "Don't stress out yourself and the baby."

"I'm not disabled, you know." I hissed back, leaving my room for the bathroom. I put the toilet lid down and sat on it, yelling in my arms. I wanted to cry. First my clothes wouldn't fit and I find the one that does. Then I can't reach the shoes for it my god damn self?

There was a knock on the door. "Lily? I'm-I'm sorry?"

"Go away!" I cried back, wiping my nose with toilet tissue. "Just leave me alone."

I heard him sigh and leave the door. "I'll be back." he called.

"Just go away..." I mumbled.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door again.

"Ethan Hardy, I swear if that's-"

"It's me, Zoe."

I opened the door, letting her in and quickly shut it behind her, locking it. I accepted her hug as I started to cry again. "I don't know why I'm like this. I just tried to get my shoes like I normally do and Ethan's saying it's too dangerous for me. I'm not-"

"Disabled, we know." she sighed, rubbing my back. "He just means well. He is right though. When you have someone else with you, you don't be ashamed to ask for help, okay?"

I nodded, wiping my face and started to retouch my makeup. "I better tell him I'm sorry for yelling at him."

"I think he's forgiven you already." she smiled, handing me a chocolate bar which I just realised was in her hands.

"He's... He's too good to me." I smiled, blushing. I placed the bar on the sink edge and took my glasses off, sliding them on my head as I inserted my contacts. "Well, we don't want to be late." I said, finishing and grabbing the bar.

"No, we don't." Dr. Walker chuckled.

...

It actually went better than I thought. Announcing my pregnancy to the team with the help and little white lies from Zoe. I received hugs and congratulations as well as a few snide and cheeky comments from Cal and Max but everyone was supportive that a new member was going to join 'The Ice Royalty'. I guess the nickname stuck with me but it was my own fault. It is actually now just a pet name from my colleagues but sometimes I do get on their bad sides and the name calling begins from there.

All I needed to do was tell my parents. Three more days to go.

Ethan looked up from his file of patient notes and smiled at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking about something. Don't worry." I smiled reassuringly and left to deal with a patient.

"Dr. Chao, this is Tia and she fell down the stairs, dislocating her arm and hit her head in the process." Rita said, smiling at the young teenager.

"I got it from here, thanks." I said to Rita as she left. "Hi, I'm Lily. How old are you?" I asked, putting on latex gloves and grabbing some cotton wools for her gnash.

Tia raised an eyebrow at me before sighing. "I'm 15." she said.

I chuckled lightly. "Attitude already? Huh. Where's your parents, Tia?"

"You tell me. My brother brought me here." she replied, wincing as she tried to move her arm.

"Don't. You'll make it worse. I'll start with your arm first then I'll have someone fix up that gnash for you, okay?" I gulped, resisting the urge to gag as the sight of blood.

Tia titled her head. "You okay?" she asked.

"I'm alright. You're the patient here." I chuckled.

Tia smiled in reply and took a deep breath in. "Just be quick with it, okay?"

"Do you want anyone here with you?"

"Tel, my brother. He's out getting me something from the vending machine." Tia said, biting her lip in pain.

I smiled thankfully when Ethan entered heading towards us. "Hey, can you deal with Tia? I need to find her brother."

I could see the look in his eyes and I smiled it off, rushing out to find this 'Tel'. It didn't take me long because I saw a lanky twenty year old trying to work the machine before kicking it.

"Are you Tel?" I asked him.

He stopped kicking the vending machine and turned to me, worry in his eyes. "Yeah, is Tia alright?"

"She's fine. She just needs her brother with her."

"She also wants a bar of Snickers but this thing ate my money!" he grumbled, digging into his pockets.

I turned to the control operator on the machine and rolled my eyes, a slight smile playing on my lips. "It's not 4, it's 04." I said, deleting the number and inserting the right number in. We heard a clank at the bottom and Tel retrieved the bar.

"Thanks, ma'am." he blushed, stuffing it in his pocket.

"No problem, follow me." I led the way back to Tia who now had a lovely pink cast on her arm.

"Dr. Hardy fixed me up." she smiled brightly, her mood much changed from the one before. Tel rushed to her and hugged her, kissing her head.

"So what happened?" I asked, watching Ethan stitch the side of her head.

Tia shrugged with her good arm. "I stupidly dropped my sock on the stairs whilst I was doing my laundry and because our stairs are wood, I slipped and here I am."

"I always double take on our stairs in case my brother forgets clothes on it." Ethan replied, chuckling.

"Clothes, eh? What would we do without them?" I smiled, writing in her file. "Your brother can discharge you." I said, handing him a form.

He took it and signed the areas which needed his consent. I took the form back and slipped it into the file, waiting for Ethan to finish up with Tia. "Dr. Chao, do you believe we should send for a CT scan just in case?"

I mentally kicked myself for even forgetting. "Of course, do you guys mind waiting?" I asked, hoping to God that I wasn't blushing for my mistake.

Tel shook his head. "Not at all. I'll just cancel football club tonight." he said, heading outside with his phone in his hand.

"What's a CT scan?" Tia asked, looking my way.

Ethan luckily took over in explaining and I added bits in to calm her. "It would be quick, trust me." I ended.

She nodded, biting her lip. I sent Ethan away to sort it out and smiled comfortingly at Tia. I guess my bedside manner was really improving. Especially since the pregnancy.

"When are you due?"

My eyes widened as she smiled.

"I can just tell. I have this gift." she said, making me giggle.

"I'm due in April." I told her, an excited grin taking over my face.

"Congratulations." she replied.

"Thank you. Seriously, how did you guess?"

She playfully rolled her eyes. "I saw you gag at me. I thought it was because I smelt but then I realised the blood dripping from my forehead."

"It was definitely the blood." I assured her. "And you smell like roses. I like roses."

"Guess it was fate we met then? Maybe if you have a girl, you'll name her Rose." she joked.

Rose. Rose was nice. And it was a flower, like my name.

"Maybe." I chuckled. "Well, Dr. Hardy is back for you so I'll leave you in his hands and I'll see you later."

Tia grabbed my hand as Max and Ethan started to wheel her out. "Thank you for being here for me." she whispered.

I only smiled and waved half-heartedly at her departing. I then moved on to my next patient, Tia plaguing my mind as to why it was only her and her brother.

I guess fate had a part in this somehow.

...

Three days later, I found myself waiting anxiously for my parents. They had been on a business trip back in China and were coming to stay the two weeks. They had long sold our family home since they were going to retire back home in China.

"It's going to be okay." Ethan told me as he stopped my knees from jerking up and down at a quick pace.

"You don't know my father, Ethan. He's going to be so ashamed of me."

Ethan tilted my chin up to face him. "I doubt it."

I scoffed. "He didn't approve of me becoming a registrar, Ethan." I said. "I doubt he would be proud of me becoming a pregnant woman who is not even in a relationship-"

"I'm your 'boyfriend' remember?" he chuckled, making me roll my eyes but smile nonetheless.

"Thank you, Ethan. For doing this. I don't know how to repay you." I whispered.

Ethan only smiled. "Giving me someone to love is enough." he replied, kissing my head as he stood up and left to the kitchen, probably to check on dinner yet again to make sure he had my parents' preferences right. He was making a lot of effort for someone pretending to be in love with me.

I got up and answered the door to my smiling mother and frowning father both with luggages. "Ma Ma, Papa." I said, hugging them quickly before letting them in. "Sit, please." I said, gesturing to the suede new modern sofa.

"This place is beautiful. I can't believe that we'll be staying here!" Ma Ma said excitedly, putting her luggage down and sitting down.

"Hm, I guess it is decent." Papa replied, putting his own luggage on the ground and folding his arms. He walked around for a bit and stopped when he peeked into the kitchen.

I heard a slight yelp and giggled silently to myself.

"Oh, yes. That's Dr. Ethan Hardy, my boy-boyfriend." I stuttered, heading to fetch him.

Ethan looked flustered as we headed back into the living room, facing my parents.

"Doctor, you say?" My father asked, intrigued.

"Yes, I'm a registrar." Ethan replied, smiling brightly.

My father nodded curtly and sat down at the dining table. "Well, my daughter says you cook. Let's see if your cooking skills are as good as your job."

Ethan winked at me before heading back into the kitchen. It was going well so far. I led my mother to the table and set out the plates, glasses and cutlery.

Ethan brought out a bottle of expensive wine which I told him was my father's favourite. As expected, Papa was impressed even more.

"You know how this came to be my favourite wine?" he asked over dinner as he held the bottle in his hand and stared at the brand. "I was on a business trip in France and our French friends served me Pétrus at a restaurant. I took one sip and fell in love with it."

"My mum used to like it as well." Ethan said.

Papa looked up at him. "Used to?"

"She died last year." Ethan replied quietly. I bit my lip and waited for someone to talk.

"I'm sorry about that, Elliot, was it?"

I glared at Papa. "It's Ethan." We both corrected.

"Apologies, yet again." Papa replied. "Maybe one day you can join us on a trip to France. See how it's made."

Ethan blushed as a faint smile played on his lips. "I'll like that."

I decided now was the right time to announce my glorious news.

"Ma Ma, Papa?" I asked, gaining their attentions. "Ethan and I have something to say-"

"Is it that you're pregnant?" Ma Ma cut in, holding a hand to her chest.

"I-Uh-Yes." I stumbled across my words.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness! Number 1, I thought that you had gained weight and was about to offer you my gym membership card and number 2, at long last! Your brother's wife only gave him one child. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever give us more grandchildren."

"Aren't you going to chastise me for not waiting until marriage?" I asked, blushing as Ethan looked on, slightly shocked.

"Who cares? As long as I am getting another grandchild." Ma Ma waved it off.

I turned to my father. "And you? How do you feel about this?" I whispered to him. Ethan found my hand under the table and squeezed it tightly.

He sighed and took a sip from his wine. "I'd rather you tell me this news after you are married. But nonetheless, I am happy for you." he said, downing his glass and pouring another one.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." I said, accepting the comfort from Ethan.

Papa smiled and raised his glass before sipping from it again.

Things were going alright. For once.

"How far along are you, Lily?" Ma Ma asked, her eyes wandering down to my bump.

"I'm fifteen weeks." I replied, finally digging into my dinner.

"Wow, that's amazing. I can't wait to find out what it is!"

I just smiled, taking a sip of my water. Things were definitely going to be alright.


	5. Chapter 5

After my twentieth week scan, Ethan and I found out the sex of the baby. We still weren't together but he had attended every birthing class, scan and 'New Parents' class and I was grateful for him.

People at work suspected that we were together but we always denied the claims, stating that Ethan was merely the godfather.

"It's a girl! So paint your walls pink or-or blue if you want..." Mr T rambled on making me giggle and Ethan grin.

I breathed out a puff of air as I turned to the screen, looking at my baby move. At five months with four to go, the baby was looking so... small and beautiful... It makes it all real. Tears watered my eyes as Ethan's hand found mine.

"She's so... small." he whispered, his eyes transfixed onto the screen.

"What did you expect? A horse?" I joked, subtly wiping my tears.

Ethan laughed, kissing my cheek as we continued to stare at the screen.

After the scan, we went straight to work and I announced my happy news. As per usual, the excitement ran through and I was pestered all day about how I was doing and how baby was doing. It got to a point where I had decided to stay in the staff room and do paperwork. I was due maternity leave in a month so that I could have my third trimester in complete bliss but I was frightened because that would mean that the due date was closer. And the baby was going to be here. And I'll have to be a mum. Sleepless nights, nappies and milk...

I was grateful when Ethan came in at 4 AM, announcing an early departure since I had fallen asleep.

"Mrs Beauchamp ordered for you to go home once she found out you were still here."

"I was waiting for you. You're kind of my ride." I said, struggling to get up. I could have accepted his help but I got there in the end.

Ethan helped me put my jacket on. "Sorry about that." he said. "When we get to yours, I have something to show you."

What is it I wasn't one for surprises but something told me I would at least like what I was waiting for.

"You'll see."

...

Ethan handed me a bunch of alphabet fridge magnets. "I'm not a child, Ethan Hardy. Nor can this baby read and write yet."

He laughed, shaking his head as he took a pack and opened it, sticking letters on my fridge. "I had Caleb get them for me. It's for choosing the baby's name now that we know it's a girl."

I blushed, putting a hand on my stomach. "Really?" I asked.

"Yep. And I'm going to let you go first." he replied, gesturing for me to start sliding letters.

I had two in mind. I placed the letters for Rose and for Mei Ying.

"They're beautiful. They have the ting that 'Rosemary' has a bit, doesn't it?" Ethan smiled. "My turn. I wasn't really sure if I could name her but I had some options if you wanted to consider them."

"Just stop talking and put them up." I smiled.

He had chosen three. Jade, Amber and Mei. "The last one is like yours. I read up on Chinese names. I find them beautiful."

"Are you trying to impress me?" I smirked.

"Uh, well, I...-"

"It's okay." I laughed. "They're beautiful too." I reached inside my bag and collected the latest scan photo, using a letter magnet to stick it on the fridge along with the previous months of scans.

"On Saturday, since it's our only day off, why don't we go check things out for the nursery?" Ethan asked, putting an arm around my shoulder as we both stared at the scans.

I nodded. "I don't want loads of pink. Maybe a soft blue or burgundy..."

"Already thinking about colours, huh?" Ethan asked, smiling down at me.

"Preparation is key, Dr. Hardy. We have only four more months until this baby comes so the question is, are you up for the challenge?" I taunted, smirking.

"I bet you, I could do the nursery in a month. And have everything we need by within two." Ethan betted.

I held my hand out for him to shake. "You're on."

...

"I still don't know why I'm here." Cal whined, picking up a tin of sky blue paint.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "You're helping Lily and the baby paint the nursery." he told his brother.

I stood at the door jamb, smiling as I watched them bicker. "I'll get you boys more coffee." I called out, going into the kitchen.

I had wanted the walls to be sky blue and the cot to be made out of cherry wood. I hadn't thought of anything else so Ethan had wanted the rest of the room to be a surprise and to say that I was actually excited for a surprise would have been an understatement. I was bursting with wanting to know how it would look like. They hadn't even started painting the pale yellow walls as they were busy dismantling the guest bed. I have got to think about getting a bigger home and a car.

On the line of homes, I wondered if bothering to do the nursery was necessary. The baby would probably be constantly by my side for easy access and we won't be here for long. With a changed mind, I headed back into the guest room.

"I've changed my mind, boys."

"Thank God." Cal said, placing the headboard of the bed against the wall. "I can go now-"

"No, you can't," I stopped him. "Because you're going to help me pack everything up in this house."

Cal frowned, his eyes widening. "Why?"

"This place would be too small and dangerous for a baby. We need bigger space so I'm going house hunting."

"I'll follow you!" Ethan, always the eager beaver.

I smiled at him. "Thank you. Now, get some boxes and pack things up. As soon as I find somewhere, I want to be organised and ready. Leave the bathroom, my bedroom and kitchen alone for now since I don't know how long the house hunting would take."

Ethan sighed, continuing to dismantle the bed. "You're going to make me lose this bet." he stated.

"You'll never know, we can find somewhere within a couple of weeks." I smirked.

"Sometimes, Dr. Chao, I think you're evil." he mumbled, unscrewing bolts. I just laughed and left again.

...

It actually didn't take very long to find a house that I liked. It was quite expensive so I had to call my parents to see if they could help me. They were both willing since they gave me more than I expected for a £500,000 house. They had told me that the extra money was for their granddaughter.

The estate agent led us around the house, showing the spiral staircase as soon as we entered. "Here's the living room with is next to an open plan kitchen." she said in an annoyingly bubbly voice I think was meant for Ethan. "So basically, it's loads of space for your baby." she added.

"It's nice." I simply said, not letting on that I adored it so much. "Navy blue is always a good choice."

"I totally agree with you!" The estate agent said, suddenly forgetting about flirting with Ethan. "I always say that blue is the gift of life."

Ethan and I looked confused as she giggled, waving it off. "What does that mean?"

"At day, it's bright and welcoming. At night, it's dark and mysterious but whatever time of day it is, life goes on with knowledge that the blue would come back."

"Wow, that's... deep." Ethan replied, looking at me.

"My mum used to tell me stuff like that. I think she was a hippie, come to think of it. Anyway, there's a utility room, bathroom, bedroom and study also on the bottom floor, if you'd like to follow me."

The utility room was conjoined to the kitchen and was quite small. Then again, it was only used for laundry. The bathroom was black and white and pristine. It had a shower and a bathtub as well as a stone sink and toilet. "It's a bit grand..." Ethan whispered to me.

"It will be for the guest bedroom which my parents are most likely to use." I whispered back.

"And here's the bedroom," The estate agent announced, opening the door and letting us in. "There's a door leading to the back garden which we will see in a short while."

The theme for the downstairs room was dark emerald green and brown. It had a flowery feature wall with block dark green walls. "It's earthy." Ethan commented.

"Do you like earthy colours?" The agent asked.

"They're alright but it's Lily's opinion of the room which is important."

"Of course, she's the pregnant one!" she giggled.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I thought that my parents would love the room. "It's beautiful." I simply replied.

The agent nodded and led us into the study where shelves full of books lined the walls and a lone desk with a computer on top took the centre of the room with the view overlooking the garden which had two floors, separated by stone steps. The colour scheme was brown and white in the study.

"Let's head to the garden, shall we?" she soon asked, leading us out the study doors into the garden. It was fit for kids since it had a small paddling pool and a outdoor play set on the second floor. The first floor, where we stepped into, had a built in BBQ station and patio furniture. "I believe it's perfect for a growing family." she grinned.

"We haven't even had this one so I think we'll stick with one for now." I said, admiring the garden.

"Just think, within a year or so, the baby would be playing in this garden." Ethan grinned, slipping his hand into mine.

"You really do make a cute couple." The agent smiled. "Let's check upstairs, shall we?" she asked, leading us back into the house. As we ascended the stairs, she explained what we were going to see when we got up there. "Well, there's three bedrooms up here. An en-suite with the master bedroom and a family bathroom. One of the rooms is a nursery but nothing is there to leave the imagination up to you. If you want this house, that is."

I wasn't going to fall into her sales trap. "We're thinking about it." I just said. "I want to start with the master bedroom first, please."

"Of course. It's just straight on."

We walked into a black and white schemed room with a walk-in wardrobe, probably the size of my current kitchen. "This is nice, isn't it? Enough space to reach all your shoes at a reasonable height." Ethan stated, looking into the wardrobe.

I lightly hit him as he only smiled back. "Let's see the en-suite." I said. It was a reasonable size with an all-in-one shower/bath.

We didn't spend long in the master bedroom since we were desperate to see the nursery but we entered the second bedroom first. "Perfect size for a queen sized bed or a twin set." The estate agent commented. "Walls can be easily changed to whatever colour suits you. Now, the second to final stop, the bathroom."

Again, reasonable size with stone fixtures. "Let's see the nursery." Ethan said, his hand still holding on to mine.

"Of course."

The nursery was right next to the master bedroom and the current walls were pale peach. There was nothing in the room except from a bunch of cuddly teddies at the bay window. "There are bay window seats. I love bay window seats." I slightly gushed, going to sit down on a cushioned seat. I breathed a sigh of relief at finally sitting down.

"I bet you're happy to finally sit down." The estate agent laughed. "The bay window seats are built in so it comes with the house. There's loads of space to make your imaginations run wild and there's a wardrobe built into the wall for baby accessories."

"Wonderful. Now, let's talk garage space." Ethan said, sitting beside me.

The estate agent leaned against the wall and used her arms for emphasis. "As you saw when we arrived, there were two garage doors. This house has a garage with two spots as well as enough space to also park outside in the front garden in case you have guests. This house is placed twenty minutes from the nearest hospital and fifteen from the nearest primary and secondary schools with a record for good education stats."

"Maybe a boarding school will be in mind." I whispered to Ethan, fully aware of the local schools education stats."

"Yes, of course." Ethan whispered back.

"This area is quiet and private so you'll probably enjoy it here as well as the heaps of space it provides. So, I'll give you guys ten minutes to venture out yourself and decide what you want to do."

I stopped her before she left. "What is your name, again?"

"Lillian." she replied, smiling brightly. "The longer version of your name, Lily." she added.

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Lillian for taking time out to show us the houses today."

Lillian waved me off. "It's okay, really. I hope you guys choose this house because it's literally perfect for a family." she said, waving at us before answering a call and leaving the room.

"So... what do you think?" Ethan asked me.

"I think...," I started. "That I want this house right now and to be living in it within a week."

Ethan grinned. "Well, I guess your mind's made up then. I'll get Cal to help me finish packing your stuff up this week."

"Thanks Ethan. Really, you've been a major help to me these past couple of months. Sometimes I may be bitchy to you but you know I'll like you no matter what, right?" I asked, nudging him a little.

"Bitchy is a understatement," he chuckled, making me hit him lightly. "But in all honesty, you're welcome. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Lily Chao. Or for this little one, in there." he said, placing a hand on my stomach. I felt a sudden kick as we both gasped. "She kicked."

I grinned. "That's my girl." I whispered, rubbing my stomach. "Hey baby girl, mummy here."

"I guess she's the only one to tame the Ice Princess."

"I guess she is." I giggled, feeling my baby kick again.

...

Within a week and an half, Ethan and Cal had helped me move into my new house. We spent most of the time organising shelves, the nursery and putting things in their right rooms but eventually we got there in the end and I repaid the boys by taking them out to dinner which didn't go to plan because there was a long queue to get in and I couldn't be bothered to wait, especially when I am nearly six months pregnant. We ended up at a fish n' chips café around the corner.

"Your new house looks great." Cal complimented, stuffing chips into his hungry mouth.

"Yeah, thanks..." I mumbled, picking at my food. "Next time, I'm getting a Chinese takeaway." I said.

"Can I eat that then?" Cal asked, already stealing some of my chips.

I laughed lightly, giving him my food. "Yeah."

"I'll stop by the local pizza shop and get you a pizza." Ethan promised me.

"Thank you." I smiled, rubbing my slightly hungry stomach.

Cal shook some salt onto his chips and looked up at me. "You do know that the girls are organising a baby shower for you right?"

"Caleb! That was a secret!" Ethan told him.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I'll try to act surprised, okay? When is it?"

Ethan sighed. "At yours, tomorrow. I'm trusting Zoe with my spare key whilst we work the day shift."

"So it will be a night thing?" I asked, surprised.

Cal scoffed. "Of course, with our work schedules I barely expect any of us to be awake during the day. Apart from you guys since you're actually working the day shift."

"I can't wait to go into maternity leave."

The brothers laughed. "Are you kidding me? You're the one who was upset that you wouldn't be able to work." Ethan laughed.

"Whatever, okay? I'm getting huge and tired and my feet hurt. You might as well put _me_ into a wheelchair so I can get to my patients."

"Or you can do files." Cal offered.

"I'd rather stay home and read the many new books I have in my beautiful new study." I smiled.

"Keep rubbing your house in my face and I'll..."

Ethan and I laughed as Cal struggled to find a threat. "Hear that, baby? Uncle Cal has nothing on mummy." Ethan said, rubbing my stomach.

"'Uncle Cal'?" Cal smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"Why not?" I asked. "If Ethan's is going to be her father, you can be her uncle."

Cal leaned back, a smile playing on his lips. "Uncle Cal, huh? Has a nice ring to it."

"God help us, you'll probably teach her swear words and how to be a female player." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Don't worry. I'll also warn her of the big bad boys out there." Cal smirked.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here are the replies to your reviews! Sorry I haven't been doing them, it's just that I have already wrote the chapters and then just posting them up. But this is pre-written and I will answer the current reviews now. Thanks for reading guys, it means a lot! xx**

 **CBloom2: (25th August review) Yeah, I agree. I love Ethan as a character and I believe that he and Lily are really close so that he can help her in this way. (26th August review) Don't worry, things do work out for him ;) And Ethan wants to make things right with Lily after ditching her for Honey that time she asked him out and they are really close friends so no matter what, Ethan is there for her despite the problem. (28th August review) There will be teasing from Cal towards Ethan. We can't have Cal going mature just because of a new addition ;) And in the earlier chapters (discreetly), Lily explained, with the help of Zoe, that the baby belongs to an ex-boyfriend but knowing the team, they don't believe that but they do know that Ethan's not the father since he was with Honey around the time that it was conceived so they won't assume that he cheated on Honey. And Cal knows that the baby isn't Ethan's and he is supporting Lily because of his brother's love for her so he wants to be an uncle. And I'm glad you're enjoying this! I'm thinking of doing a Holby City fic as well based on Jonny and Jac on her maternity leave.**

 **smish123: (28th August review) I'm glad you love it ;D Thanks for reading! x**

* * *

I was finally on maternity leave with three months to go until my due date. It was a day before Valentine's Day and Ethan was away on a conference in London with Cal and Connie.

Since I was on my maternity leave, I had nothing to do other than rearrange things from the baby shower and do laundry. I also chose an outfit which the baby would wear when she's born and we leave the hospital. It was a pink and light blue polka dot baby grow with matching pink booties and hat. Ethan had bought it and told me that he didn't mind since it was for his 'angel' when I chastised him for it. I only smiled a little and packed it away, my intentions of making sure that my daughter wore it.

Ethan and I had become somewhat of a 'thing'. He had officially broke up with Honey who already assumed that they were over causing them to laugh and forget that their awkward relationship ever took place and Honey formally congratulated me as well as give me a hint that Ethan was now single and told me to go for it.

I sat down and picked up a story book. "Shall we do a bit of reading, baby?" I asked, rubbing my stomach. I received a kick in reply and tied my hair up in a loose bun, chuckling. "I really need to stop calling you 'baby'. Some might find being called a 'baby' is offensive but it won't be if you actually _are_ a baby, right? I have a list of possible names for you but I can't choose. I was thinking of Rose because it's a flower like mine, Lily. I was thinking of your daddy's choice, Jade because it's sophisticated and beautiful. I definitely want to use Mei Ying as a middle name because it means a beautiful cherry blossom or beautiful and brave. You are mummy's beautiful and brave baby. I haven't even seen you yet and I'm calling you beautiful. I have scans of you-" I stopped myself from rambling on. I almost missed the fact that I called Ethan my child's father. "Sorry... you probably don't want to listen to Mummy go on, do you?" I whispered. I hadn't gotten used to the whole 'there's a little someone inside you' yet since when I'm alone, I tend not to talk but now that my child is in me, I have to talk. For her development and my sanity otherwise there's like a big elephant in the room.

I was about to talk again when I heard the doorbell ring. I got up with a little struggle and headed for the door, opening it. I gasped when I saw who it was.

"Zack?"

He smiled and his eyes drifted to my stomach and stayed there. Wow. Congratulations. I see things worked out with the guy you were trying to get over."

"Kind of. Co-come in." I gulped, standing to the side to let him in. I closed the door behind him and led him to the living room.

"Sorry to turn up like this. I went to your apartment but your neighbours said you moved here."

I nodded. "Tea? I can only offer tea because coffee makes me sick at the moment." I said.

He smiled, nodding as he sat down. "Yes please. Two sugars."

I quickly went into the kitchen and put water into the kettle before turning it on. Why was Zack here? It wasn't like we were best friends or anything. It was a one-time thing. Did he even know that?

When I was done with his tea, I returned to the living room and gave it to him. "So... why are you here?" I asked, sitting down a metre away from him.

He took a quick sip from his tea before gulping it down and putting the mug back on the coffee table. "I just wanted to apologise for that night we met."

"I don't understand?" I replied, confusion written on my features.

He laughed a little, blushing. "I'm sorry, let me explain. I'm not like that. I'm not usually one for one-night stands but my friends pressured me into going to a club and get over Katrina."

I figured Katrina was his ex-girlfriend. "I'm not usually like that. A party animal, I mean. I'm normally reserved and sophisticated. That was a one time thing and I was even shocked that I stooped to that level."

Zack nodded. "I understand what you mean. When I told my friends, they told me they expected that I would never even do that because like you, I'm all about reserve and sophistication. I'm also socially awkward." he said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, reminding me of Ethan. "So, I just wanted you to know that I didn't mean to leave you hanging or anything. I didn't mean to use you as a rebound."

I smiled. "I apologise too. Turns out, the guy I was trying to get over was in love with me."

"Same here. I got back together with Katrina."

"Ethan and I are getting there."

"Still? I would expect you guys to already be there since you're pregnant."

Ah, the perfect moment to tell him. "In fact... it's not Ethan's." I started.

Zack titled his head, a confused smile playing on his lips. "Oh, sorry I assumed-"

"It's yours." I whispered.

Zack's eyes widened as it final dawned on him. "Oh my God... I'm-I'm so sorry! I-I...,"

"Zack." I said firmly. "It's okay. Ethan's okay with it too. I guess that having this happen to me had made me look at life in a different way. That and the fact that I am closer to my parents now..."

"Do you know what the sex of the baby is?" Zack asked, his embarrassment still showing.

"A girl."

"You and Ethan must be over the moon." he smiled. "Sorry to ask but are you going to tell her about me?"

I shrugged. "If you don't want to be involved as her father, I'm okay with that because Ethan's got it covered but as a distant American uncle, I might tell her a few things of the weird American I met one day." I smiled, making him laugh and blush.

"I wish you and your child the best in life." he said sincerely. "And maybe this quirky American uncle who is _not_ her dad could visit her and get to know her someday."

I nodded. "I bet she would like that."

"So, is there any other uncles that I have to outshine?"

I laughed. "Many. Especially Caleb, Ethan's older brother. He's got the 'boys' criteria handled." I joked.

"Then I'll have the alcohol and drugs criteria. Ethan could be the one who answers the awkward questions from our lessons."

We both laughed and it died down when I heard the front door open and close.

"Lily?"

"In here!" I called out.

Ethan entered and kissed me on the cheek before turning his attention to Zack. "Oh, sorry. Didn't know you had company." he said, putting his briefcase down beside the couch.

"Yeah, this is Zack..."

"Duncan." Zack finished. "I met Lily a couple of months ago and we got talking about ten ways to prevent someone from vomiting." he said, making me laugh as I remembered our conversation before we conceived our child. "Yeah, as you can guess, I'm also a doctor."

Ethan smiled. "I'm Ethan, Lily's boyfriend." he introduced himself, shaking Zack's hand. We hadn't made it official but I thought that this situation was because Ethan felt the need to make it clear to Zack that I was somewhat taken. "Also a doctor interested in ten ways to prevent someone from vomiting."

"Great because I have a whole document about it." Zack joked, making us all laugh. "Well, I best be going. I promised a certain girlfriend of mine a week in England."

"I hope you enjoy your stay." I said as we both stood up and I led him to the door.

"We will. What are you doing tomorrow?"

I turned back at Ethan who shrugged. "A movie, a non-alcoholic bottle of wine..."

"How about you two join Katrina and I for dinner at the Shard. I'll pay of course."

"Oh, I can pay for Lily and I-"

Zack shook his head, smiling. "I insist. After all, you have both showed me hospitality in your home. It's the least I could do."

"Well..." I drifted off, staring into Zack's hopeful eyes. "We'll be there.

"Definitely." Ethan smiled, slipping an arm around my waist.

"Great!" Zack's thick accent rang out. "Now, we'll meet up at half past 5 in front of the Shard."

"Can't miss it!" I smiled lightly, opening the door for him as he grinned and left. I closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was wrong with Zack?" Ethan asked, going into the kitchen. I followed him, shaking my head.

"Nothing... He's... the baby's father."

Ethan turned to face me, shock written in his face. "Do-does he know?"

I nodded. "I told him. He's alright with it. He wants to be in her life but from a distant so he won't get in the way of our relationship. He gives you credit for stepping up and being her dad as well."

"Wow, a guy happy to see another man father his child." Ethan said, blushing slightly.

I smiled, putting my arms around his waist. "Ethan... you'll be a better father than he could ever be. Think of him as a sperm donor."

Ethan started to laugh. "Something you would never agree to."

I blushed, hitting him lightly before looking inside the fridge for something to eat. "You know what? Let's order three pizzas."

"For who, me or you?" Ethan joked making me hit him again.

"Ethan..." I warned.

"Sorry, sorry." he laughed.

...

"Is this okay?" I asked Ethan as I twirled around in a plain long-sleeved black dress.

Ethan kissed me on the cheek, doing his tie. "Beautiful." he said. "But I thought that you weren't making an effort?"

I shrugged, putting light makeup on. "This is 'not making an effort', Ethan." I replied. "Now can you get my wedges for me, please?"

Ethan obliged, going into the wardrobe as I sat down on the bed, rubbing my stomach.

"We're going to dinner at the Shard. It's this tall building made of glass with a pointy top."

"And Mummy's friend better have a big pocket because of all the food you and her are going to eat." Ethan smiled, helping me put my shoes on. I dodged my hit and kissed my head.

I glared at him. "Make more jokes about our weight and you're dead."

"Fine. Look, before we go I just wanted to give you something." He went over to his duffel bag and collected a box out of it before handing it to me. "Happy Valentine's. To you and the baby."

"Thank you, Ethan." I blushed, undoing the ribbon and opening the box. Inside was two bracelets. One my size and a small one. They were gems on the both of them.

"The gems represent birthstones. The baby's is sapphire because she's a Taurus as you told me and you're ruby because you're a Capricorn."

I felt tears water my eyes as I slipped my bracelet on. "Oh, Ethan... I didn't get anything for you, I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, trust me. You can repay me by..."

"By what?" I asked, wiping my tears away.

"By-by being my girlfriend?" he blushed, hope in his eyes.

I smiled, tilting my head as I brought him down for a kiss. "I believe that means 'yes'." I replied, leaning into his hug. "I-I love you." I whispered.

He grinned and kissed me again. "I love you too." He kissed me again before kissing my stomach. "Don't think I've forgotten about you."

"I've been thinking about her name because we can't keep calling her 'baby',"

"What have you chosen?" Ethan asked, the excitement evident in his eyes as he looked up at me from his crouched position.

"Jade Rose Mei Ying Chao." I wanted to say 'Hardy' but we had only just gotten together, I didn't want to scare him off.

His smile made me smile. "Jade? You chose Jade?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "It doesn't really suit her birthstone but I loved the name too much."

He placed an ear to my stomach. "Hello, Jade. That's your name now. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

I felt her kick and we both giggled. "Well she likes it too."

...

"Katrina, this is Lily and Ethan." Zack announced us, standing up. We shook hands with Katrina who smiled brightly at us.

"Hi, Zack as told me a lot about his new friends." she smiled, opening up a menu. "Congratulations on your pregnancy."

"Thanks." Ethan and I replied, judging by the fact that Zack's eyes were pleading, we knew she didn't know about the baby being his.

I opened the menu and looked through the possible food choices. There were many that pleased my appetite. "What are you going for?" Ethan whispered to me.

"The steak." I said.

"Same here. To be honest, I don't know most of these." We both laughed.

"The spaghetti looks great, doesn't it Zack?" Katrina asked, tilting her head suggestively.

Zack nodded. "I'll go with the fish option, though." he replied.

"Ethan, what wine do you want?" Katrina asked.

Ethan looked caught off guard. "Oh, um, red please."

"Lovely choice for steak. I'm not sure but I think you can have either white or red wine with spaghetti."

"I would think red because of the meatballs included." I stated.

Katrina pondered on the thought. "You know what, Lily? You are so right!"

We both smiled at each other. "Women know best, don't they?" Zack joked as he called for a waiter.

When we had ordered, silence fell upon us before I decided to break it. "So what part of America do you guys come from?"

"I'm from Kentucky." Katrina said. "Small town but I adore it."

"And I was born and raised in California. When Kat moved to Cali, we met, fell in love and moved to New York but then things happened."

"Let's not talk about that. What about you guys?" Katrina cut in.

"I was raised in England but born in China." I said, making Katrina gasp in excitement.

Ethan chuckled. "Well, sorry guys. I'm not as interesting as you are because I was actually born in London."

"I bet you are called 'posh' a lot, right?" Katrina asked, giggling.

Ethan shrugged. "Well it's better than being called a dick head, aka my brother."

We laughed and watched as the waiters placed our drinks and food on the table.

"Smells great." Zack said, opening up his napkin and placing it on his lap as his girlfriend did the same. They were proper.

"So, Katrina? What do you do?" Ethan asked out of interest as he sipped on his wine.

Katrina blushed. "Well, I'm not a doctor like you guys," she chuckled."I am in fact a lawyer."

"I bet you earn a lot." I commented.

"Not as much as you guys." she said modestly. "So, Lily? When are you due?"

I smiled at the mention of my baby and consciously placed a hand on my stomach. "In April. Three months to go!"

"I bet you guys are excited!" Katrina grinned. "Do you know what you're having?"

"A girl." Ethan replied.

"Well, that's just smashing, isn't it?" Zack said. "I can't wait to get married and have kids!"

I blushed as I looked down and started to eat my food.

"Me too! Are you guys married?" Katrina asked.

Ethan and I blushed as Ethan replied for us. "No. We're partners."

I guess that was alright. Especially since we officially became a couple.

"Oh." Katrina blushed. "Anyway, Lily, I learned that you're from China. How is it? I've always wanted to go."

I smiled brightly. "It's amazing. You should go." I simply replied. "How about America? Best places to visit?"

"Hawaii, New York, California, Florida - perfect for kids - and much more. How about when you guys come over to visit, Zack and I will show you around." Katrina grinned, her eyes sparkling.

"That would be just... lovely." I smiled.

...

I was so relieved when we arrived home. The dinner wasn't awkward per se but Katrina seemed more engrossed with our lives than her own. She had simply said that she wasn't 'interesting enough' to be talked about. Talk about a lack of confidence. But she was nice and I'd honestly admit that I kind of liked her. She was reserved and knew when to shut up, let others talk and when to stop herself from saying something offensive.

"Oh, I would love a massage right about now." I sighed, laying on my bed.

"Back? Foot?" Ethan asked, taking his tie off.

I smiled, closing my eyes. "Feet, please. You're so good to me."

"Because I," I felt his lips on mine. "Love you." he whispered. I grinned and opened my eyes to find him leaning back and placing my legs on his thighs. "How's Jade?"

"She's asleep." I yawned, stretching. "I just can't wait to meet her." I whispered, closing my eyes.

"Me too." I heard before drifting into a dark abyss.


	7. Chapter 7

**What was up with the site being down?! Anyway, here's another chapter xx Heads up, not good at birth scenes so I'm going to skip that, all good? Good, now read ;)**

* * *

At nine months pregnant, I was excited. Actually excited to see my daughter. I was scared about the birthing process, and what happens after. Soon, I'll have a life depending on me, in my arms.

"Right, I'm off. I'll see you later." Ethan said, giving me a kiss as he grabbed his briefcase and put his shoes on.

"See you later." I said, smiling as I watched him leave. I heard his footsteps descend the stairs and the front door shut close after.

Getting out of bed, I slipped my robe on and went downstairs to make myself breakfast. I had been extremely bored lately and I was glad when Ethan always came home with admin stuff which Connie didn't want to do since she had no time especially with Grace planning on returning.

Work related, I was glad to hear that Charlie was back on his feet and was planning on going to work but after a much needed break. They had eventually found Louis and Charlie had wanted to spend more time with him. I still don't understand why but I guess it was the love a parent had for their child and no matter what they did or who they are, their love was unconditional for them.

I placed my hands on my bump and bit my lip. "You going to wake up for mummy?" I asked gently. "We're going to have breakfast. How does pancakes sound, huh?" I whispered.

I felt around for the familiar kick but received nothing. She probably was just tired. There was nothing wrong with this. She was just feeling a little sleepy, that's all.

"Maybe when I start eating, you'll wake up." I said quietly as I got the pancake mix ready. "I don't know how your daddy thinks he can trick us with pancake mix." I chuckled. "His pancakes always seemed to be fluffy and equal."

After breakfast, I had bathed and gotten dressed in a navy dress and black leggings. I was happy to feel Jade kicking. I think the bath had woken her up a bit.

"What's today's date?" I mumbled, taking my phone from its charger. "We can probably go shopping and-" I didn't get far because I felt something trickle down my legs. That was followed by an intense pain in my abdomen. "Oh!"

I felt my phone slip from my hand and gripped the edge of the sofa, biting my lip in pain. I heard the dull thud that my phone made when it contacted the carpet.

"Deep breaths, Lily..." I mumbled. I wasn't a stranger to waters breaking or pain. I had learnt all about this in the meetings. "In..." I took a breath in. "Out..." And breathed out.

I managed to make my way over to the land line since I was highly unlikely to get my phone from the floor. I quickly dialled 999 and waited until my second wave of pain went through. I quickly told them my address and that I was in labour. They told me someone was on the way whilst I screamed through the phone, probably damaging the poor woman's eardrum.

 _"Just breathe with me, okay Lily?"_

"It hurts so much." I cried.

 _"I know, sweetheart. Breathe in and out. Look, I've got Dixie and Iain coming for you, okay?"_

"Thanks, Cass." I said to the dispatcher.

It wasn't too long until I heard Dixie at the door. I breathed a sigh of relief when the pain disappeared and quickly opened the door before it could come back.

"Lily, how long apart are your contractions?" she asked, coming in as Iain opted to stay out.

I shrugged. "I don't know, 11 minutes apart?" I replied, unsure. "Can you get my go-bag? It's the navy one in my wardrobe, my room's straight down the hall. You can't miss it."

She quickly went upstairs to get my bag as Iain finally entered. "How can I help?" he asked, putting an arm around my waist. "My phone's on the floor in front of the sofa. Can you call Ethan for me, please?"

Iain nodded, seating me down on the sofa. "Just keep breathing in and out, yeah?"

I nodded and watched as Dixie returned, my bag over her shoulder. "Let's get you to the hospital, huh?"

"Let's go have a baby." I mumbled to myself.

...

I grinned as I held a baby swallowed in pink in my arms. Ethan kissed my head as he placed his finger in Jade's hand with her sparkling bracelet, making her latch on immediately.

"Welcome to the world, baby Jade." I whispered, cradling her. I was a mess and sweaty but I didn't care. All that mattered was Jade. She would matter to me forever.

There was a knock on the door and Robyn peeked in, smiling. "Is she here yet?" she whispered, coming in. She gasped when she saw Jade and grinned, stroking her cheek. "Oh my gosh, she's adorable! What's her name?"

"Jade Rose Mei Ying Hardy." I replied, smiling Ethan who returned the gesture.

"Does that mean...?" she looked between us. We nodded and she squealed but stopped when she saw Jade start to fuss. "Hello, Jade. I'm your Aunty Robyn. You are going to be so spoilt you won't know what hit you."

I smiled, biting my lip as Jade started to cry a little. "Shh, Mummy's here."

"She's having you tamed." Robyn pointed out.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I do have a heart, you know, Nurse Miller."

"A beautiful one at that." Ethan said, kissing my cheek. I gave Jade to him as I got out of the bed, fixing my hair slightly.

"I can't have everyone seeing me like this. I'm going to have a shower."

Robyn giggled. "Some women look like complete wrecks after childbirth but I have to say, you keep the Ice Princess look to uppermost perfection." I swatted her, making her laugh. "I better get back but I'll tell people to drop in when they can. We're swamped today."

Sorry." Ethan winced.

"It's okay, Papa Bear. We still have that temp doctor around. Her name is Anastasia Sullican or something weird like that. She gives me the creeps."

"That's my replacement?" I asked, chuckling.

Robyn nodded. "And Dylan's. He's still off so I think she's going to be here for a while. You might meet her soon. But I wouldn't want to meet her, if I were you. She's a-" she stopped to look at Jade. "Word for a female dog." she finished.

We laughed. "Okay, see you soon."

"Bye." Robyn waved, going.

I got my spare clothes and went into the bathroom. I smiled when I heard Ethan telling Jade a story about moons and stars since it was nearly 9 PM. It didn't take me long to have her but we were so overjoyed that we had spent hours just watching her sleep, awaken, eat and sleep again. Ethan ended up leaving half-way through his shift to be with me during the labour process and after. Connie had eventually told him to stay and not worry about the rest of his shift.

When I had finished in the bathroom, I saw Cal, Rita and Zoe cooing at Jade.

"She's so gorgeous!" Rita smiled as she carried her.

"Hey, there's Mama Bear!" I rolled my eyes but smiled as I accepted Zoe's hug. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

I giggled slightly. "Tired."

"Don't worry, there'll be lots of time to be tired." Rita said, handing Jade over to Cal. "Ethan said he had to go and change."

I nodded and packed my go-bag. "Is she okay with you?" I asked Cal.

He nodded. "I think she likes me." he said, making silly faces at Jade who couldn't understand what on Earth he was doing. "What does this face mean?"

Rita, Zoe and I chuckled. "I think that's her 'leave me alone, now' face." Rita replied.

Cal handed her over to Zoe who kissed her head. "I better go finish the rest of my shift but I'll drop by tomorrow morning, okay?" he said, hugging me.

"Yeah, bye." I waved as he left.

"When are you going home?" Zoe asked, singing a lullaby to Jade.

"Tomorrow morning. Cal's giving us a lift because Ethan has to work."

Rita smiled. "Cal's really maturing, huh? He's only her uncle, I didn't think he would completely change."

"Please, don't jinx it." I begged.

...

The next morning, Cal arrived with the car seat. "Sorry I rook so long, there was an accident."

"In the morning?" I asked, strapping Jade in.

"Yep." Cal said, connecting the seat to its buggy. "Ready to go?"

I nodded, grabbing my bags as Cal pushed the buggy out of the door, me following.

"Everyone's dying to see Jadey." Cal said as we entered the lift.

I laughed a little. "'Jadey'?"

"Yeah, it's my nickname for her." Cal shrugged, smiling at his niece. "How about you push the chair and get hounded whilst I carry the bags."

"What a gentleman(!)" I said, giving him the bags and placing my hands on the bar. I smiled at my now awaken daughter and kissed her head. "Let's go see Daddy."

The lift stopped and we exited, immediately spotting Robyn.

She gasped and rushed over to us. "Lily, Jade!"

"We've come to visit." I smiled.

"Well," she said as we started to walk. "Everyone's excited, apart from Anastasia but who cares about her?"

I chuckled and continued to push the buggy until we reached reception where everyone started to gather around.

"Oh my gosh, she's actually really pretty." Max said, surprised.

"I'm not sure whether or not that is a compliment." I replied.

He chuckled and gave me a hug, patting my back. "She looks like you." Louise cooed.

"She better otherwise that would be strange, huh?" Jacob commented as he walked passed.

Connie exited her office, probably to see what all the commotion was about. "And who do we have here? Hello Jade." she asked, bending down to see Jade. She stood back up and hugged me. "Congratulations."

I smiled. "Thank you." I replied. She smiled and left to treat a patient since everyone was pretty much surrounding us.

"She's beautiful. The boys better watch out because she'll be breaking hearts." Honey said, hugging me as well. I wasn't awkward with her any more and we did get along better. Sure, I was a bit of a bully to her in the past but we've actually become closer than ever.

"Everything about her just screams 'Ice Princess Junior'." Lofty said, making Max laugh.

"Shut up, Lofty." Robyn warned. I just smiled, blushing. "Go help someone, or something."

Lofty and Max put their hands up in defence as they walked away, laughing.

I felt arms wrap around my waist and smiled at Ethan. "Everyone's smitten with Jade." I told him.

"That's a good thing." he replied. I nodded, placing my hands on his.

...

Within a month, I was back at work. I had a year off for maternity leave but I was desperate to get back in the swing of things so Ethan ended up taking his paternity leave now.

I was quite anxious to return to work since I was uncomfortable of leaving Jade but I knew that Ethan would look after her well, it was just that it was my first time being away from her, even if it was only for 9 hours.

I entered work, sighing. "Hey there, Mama Ice." Robyn smiled, hugging me. "Glad to be back at work?"

"I don't know... I couldn't leave Jade alone." I replied as we entered the staff room.

Robyn smiled sympathetically. "I'm sure she will be missing you. It's just for 9 hours, you'll be okay. Plus, Ethan has been really exited over spending time with her. Everyday he came in with a new picture of Jade. I loved the one when you dressed her up as Piglet."

I laughed. "Thanks for cheering me up."

"It's okay. If you need a chat, call me." Robyn smiled before leaving.

I put my stuff away and collected my phone, ID tag and pager before shutting my locker. I heard the door open and close and turned to face the temporary doctor.

"You must be Anastasia Sullican."

She shook her head. "It's 'Sullicon'." she corrected me before heading towards her locker. "You must be Lily Chao. Everyone's talking about you and your new baby."

I shrugged, taking my glasses off as I got out my compact mirror. "Yeah, I am. And she's okay, thanks for asking." I said sarcastically. Robyn had told me to beware of her. I'm sure she couldn't be as bad as me.

I slipped my contacts in and put my mirror away before sending a quick 'Good luck x' text to Ethan. He replied with a smiley face and 'Good luck to you too x'. I smiled to myself before putting my phone on vibrate and slipping it into my pocket.

"So, how long are you going to be here for?" I asked her.

"1 and an half months." she replied. "You're lucky nobody's forgotten about you, Lily."

I smiled forcefully at her. "You are a junior doctor so please refer to me as 'Dr. Chao'. And I guess it's because they're my friends, I guess."

I left, not even glancing once at her. I collected my patient files from Robyn and went to help Zoe with a patient.

"Dr. Chao! How are you doing?" she asked as I entered the cubicle.

"Great." I smiled.

"It's nice to see you back. Even if it's earlier than expected."

"I just needed to get back in the swing of things." I replied, opening the patient file.

The patient was a 25 year old pregnant woman who fell down the stairs and broke her leg and was worried about her child.

She stared at me intently. "I'm guessing you recently had a baby?" she asked, smiling a little.

I nodded, returning the smile. "She's one month old." I told her.

"She? Wow, if she looks like you then she'll be breaking hearts."

Zoe laughed. "She's very beautiful. Her genes are to perfection."

We chuckled and I set about putting her leg in a cast. "We'll get the ultrasound to check on your baby." I said as Zoe went to get the machine. "I'm sure everything's alright."

"I know but it's better to be safe than sorry, eh?" The patient replied, rubbing hr stomach.

"How far along are you?"

She smiled. "Only seven months." she replied. "How do you do it? Have a child whilst doing one of the hardest jobs in the world? Where's the time? Everyone comes to the emergency department front and centre 24/7."

"Well," I started, chuckling slightly. "sometimes, it's surprisingly quiet here. And I'm working less hours even though my partner is taking paternity leave."

"Lucky you. A guy who actually wants to spend time with his kid. Mine travels the freaking world twice over. He's a business man, or so he says." she joked.

I smiled. "Will he be here for the birth?" I asked as Zoe returned.

She shrugged. "He better otherwise I'm taking full custody." she replied half-jokingly.

I was about to reply when my phone buzzed. I took it out and looked at the message Ethan sent me. 'Her first sneeze x'. Attached was a video which I opened and showed to my patient and Zoe.

"That is adorable!" My patient said, cooing. "Can't wait for my baby to do that."

"Knowing Ethan, he'll record every single second of Jade's life then when she's getting married, we'll watch the video." Zoe said, making my laugh. I couldn't agree more.

* * *

 **Drama in the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's the drama! And it introduces two other characters, O/Cs of mine.**

* * *

"Lily? There's... someone here looking for you." Rita said, opening the door to the staff room.

I looked up from my phone and stood up, putting it in my pocket. "Who is it?" I asked, smoothing down my dress.

"He's in resus."

"What?" I mumbled, following her.

A man pushed Lofty away as he gripped the side of his abdomen. "Where's Lily Chao? I want her."

I could finally see his face now that I was closer. "Gabriel?"

"Lillian!" Gabe smiled before wincing in pain.

"I'm guessing you two know each other?" Rita asked, pushing Gabe back down on the bed.

I nodded. "He's my idiot older brother." I replied, sighing as I folded my arms. "Gabe, I can't treat family members. So let Nurse Freeman and Dr. Knight deal with you."

Gabriel sighed and nodded, leaning back down. I could now see something sticking out the side of his stomach. "Yeah, kind of had an accident." he said, looking at my reaction.

"Gabriel..." I sighed. "What happened?"

"I-argh!" He glared at Rita who tried to clean the wound. "Maya kicked me out. She thought I was cheating on her but I wasn't. It's a long story. Anyway, I saw an open window. She wasn't at home and I needed my stuff. Next thing I know, I'm falling off the roof and landing on Danny's old buggy and one of the poles end up sticking into me."

I sighed, rubbing my head. "How long ago was it since she kicked you out."

"A week. I'm crashing at Mum and Dad's hotel room. But I know when I'm overstaying my welcome." he mumbled. "Look, can I stay with you and Ethan for a couple of days, until I get Maya to-" he started yelling in pain.

"Alright, we need to go to theatre to get this out." Cal said, starting to move Gabe's bed.

"Wait." Gabe gritted out, grabbing my hand. "If I... tell Maya and Daniel, I love them."

I refused to let my tears fall as I nodded, kissing my brother's head. "I will."

"He's losing a lot of blood..." Rita said. I nodded and stood back, watching them wheel my brother away.

...

Connie had allowed me to take the rest of the day off so I decided to go to Gabe's house.

I rang the doorbell and pulled my jacket tighter around my body. It was warm but a little chilly since I was wearing a short sleeved dress.

Maya opened it and groaned. "He came to you, didn't he?" she asked, letting me in.

"Maya... Gabriel tells me that he didn't cheat on you."

"He kissed his co-worker in front of me! First he invites me to this work party, the next, her tongue is down his throat."

I bit my lip. "I think there's more to that story than meets the eye." I replied. "He's been staying with our parents but they... He'll be at mine for a while so, come and talk to him."

"Why should I?" Maya asked, crossing her arms.

"Because he's the father of your child."

Her eyes warmed as tears fell. "Fine." she finally said, wiping her tears away. "Now, when's this christening happening?"

I smiled. "On Saturday. I hope to see you and Danny there."

"Of course." she smiled. "How is Gabriel...?"

"Where's Daniel?"

Alarm rose in her eyes. "Is Gabe okay? Danny's staying at his friend's for a sleepover."

"Gabe hurt himself on Danny's old buggy. He's in hospital."

"That idiot... I swore I saw blood but I took no notice since I thought it was fake because some kids down the street love pulling pranks on us."

I held out a hand. "Come with me?"

"For Daniel." she said, taking my hand.

...

"Okay, we managed to take the pole out and he's recovering now." Cal said, walking with me and Maya as we headed towards Gabe's cubicle.

He drew the curtain and Gabe's eyes widened when he saw Maya. "Maya!"

"I'm willing to listen." she mumbled.

I turned to Cal. "Thanks Cal." I smiled.

He smiled back and nodded. "Right, I'll leave you guys to it." he said, leaving and drawing the curtain back.

"So, tell me." Maya sighed.

"Okay, you know Cara?"

"The lesbian?" Maya asked.

Gabe nodded. "Yeah, she was being stalked by an admirer and she finally introduced herself to Cara so Cara tried to let her down gently by kissing me and telling her that she was 'straight' so that's when you walked in."

"Oh my gosh! I thought that it was Willa, Cara's sister."

"They do look alike." Gabriel smiled when he saw Maya blush.

She kissed him. "I'm so sorry! I should have stayed to see which sister it was."

Gabe smiled, slipping a strand of her hair behind her ear. "It's okay." he whispered to her before turning to face me. "Thank your friends for me. They saved my life."

I smiled and kissed his cheek. "I will. Now, I have to get home to my baby and my boyfriend so... stop by when you want."

"We might take you up on that offer." Maya grinned, hugging me.

...

"How was you day?" Ethan called out from the kitchen as I stepped through the front door.

"Drama-filled." I replied, heading to him. I saw Jade napping in her play cot and leaned down to kiss her head.

Ethan handed me a glass of water which I happily accepted as I put my bag down on the sofa.

"What happened?"

"Gabriel hurt himself, ended up in hospital and told me his marriage was over. I then fixed said marriage and now everybody's happy to come to Jade's christening."

Ethan whistled. "Fine, you topped my day. Jade and I sorted through all her stuffed teddies and watched a Disney film. Well, I ended up watching it by myself because she was out of it."

I giggled and sat down. Ethan joined me and lifted his arm. "Cuddle?"

"Please." he smiled, wrapping his arm around me. "Lily...?"

"Yeah?" I replied, placing my cup down on the coffee table.

Ethan bit his lip and turned to face me fully. "Wh-what are your thoughts on marriage?"

I sighed. "Is this a proposal? We've only been together for-"

"Slow down," he chuckled lightly. "I'm just trying to say that... I see us together five years from on. Even fifty years from on."

"Do you?" I asked quietly.

He nodded. "I'm ready when you are. I just needed to know."

"I'll marry you but not now. We've still got a long while yet." I said, kissing him. "Even if we got married now, I could see my parents calling up relatives that are five times removed or something just to witness it." I joked.

Ethan laughed. "I'm... I'm thinking about my mum."

"She'll be watching from Heaven." I said gently. "Have you talked to your dad?"

"William Knight is a hard man to contact. When my parents got divorced, Caleb and I were given the option of who we wanted to stay with. I was more of a mummy's boy so I chose my mum and had my surname changed to her maiden name. Caleb stayed with dad and well... over the years mine and my father's relationship got worse. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know I have a daughter."

I wrapped my arms around him. "How about Caleb and William's relationship?"

"They're still tight. I want to know my dad again but knowing him... he'll probably force me to change my surname back."

I sighed. "What does your dad do?" I hadn't known a lot about Ethan's life and family. All I knew was that he and his brother had different surnames and his mother was dead.

"He's a lawyer. Wanted us to do well so he practically forced us to be doctors. I actually enjoy Medicine but I don't know about Cal." he replied, leaning back against the sofa.

"How about you get Cal to get him to come to the christening. I'll do the rest, you just sit back and let me fix your relationship."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Want to bet?"

"What?" I smirked.

"That you can't fix mine and my father's relationship in one day."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "You're on."

* * *

 **Some Ethan and Lily fluff ;) Next chapter we meet the famous William Knight.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the long delay! Here's another chapter.**

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I heard voices outside the front door as I passed it and quickly looked at Ethan who was busy listening to Jade babble on. I shut the door to the kitchen and opened the front door, smoothing out my dress.

Cal came into view, hesitantly. "I thought that we organised them to meet at the christening! Not two days earlier!" I whispered.

"He thinks this is a social call of mine. And I have to give something to Ethan so I thought, why not?"

I inwardly groaned as a man in a sharp suit climbed up the short steps.

"Caleb? You didn't say your girlfriend owned a lovely home and is beautiful." William Knight said, partially impressed as he eyed me up and down.

"Because she's not my girlfriend." Cal replied. "She's Ethan's."

William's eyes widened. "Oh, lo-lovely to meet you." he replied flustered as he stuck a hand out to me.

"I'm Lily and it's lovely to meet you too, Mr. Knight." I replied politely, shaking his hand.

"Is Ethan in?" Cal asked casually.

I almost glared. Almost. "Yeah, come on in. He's with Jade."

"Jade?"

"Our daughter." I came straight out with it. I turned around so I couldn't see his reaction.

I was about to open the door to the kitchen when Ethan opened it, Jade in his other arm.

"Mummy, seems like Jadey's done a-" The smile was wiped off his face as he sighed and gulped. "William."

"Ethan." William replied just as curtly. "Long time no see."

I took Jade off of Ethan and shushed her as she started to fuss.

"Do you want me to change her?" Cal offered.

I was too shocked to say anything but obliged when Cal took Jade off me and headed upstairs.

"Her bag is by her cot!" I called upstairs before turning to face Ethan and his father standing there awkwardly. "Right. Who wants tea? I've got herbal, fruit, PG Tips, caffeine, decaf..." I let out a puff of air. "Let's go to the living room, shall we?"

"Yeah, good idea." Ethan said as he watched his father follow my arm direction into the living room. He then shut the door and turned to face me. "I thought he was coming at the christening."

"Cal and I thought that this would be good to clear the air a bit. So it's less awkward at the christening!" I replied, running a hand through my hair. "Cal literally sprang this on us so don't blame me."

"I know... I'm not mad..." Ethan sighed. "I guess I should at least make an effort, right? I'm thirty now and that's different from being thirteen when he left us with our mum."

I smiled before placing a kiss on his lips. "You'll be okay. Now, let's not keep him waiting."

I opened the door and William turned away from a family portrait of me, my siblings and my parents. Beside the portrait there was a family picture of me, Ethan and Jade. There was also one including Cal.

"Seems like you've made a pretty good life here." William said, tapping the top of the fireplace mantle.

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, I guess I have. Please, sit down."

William chose the black leather armchair whereas Ethan and I settled for the matching sofa across from the chair and the TV.

"Does anyone want anything?" I asked after a moment's silence.

William gave me a smile. "I heard you have fruit tea."

I had never known of a 'hotshot' lawyer drinking fruit tea. I smiled back. "Of course. Ethan, darling?" Had to play a part, didn't I?

"Uh, decaf, please." Ethan said.

I nodded and stood up, heading into the kitchen. I stared at the two men as I boiled hot water and realised that without my intervening, they would never start up a conversation. "So, Mr. Knight?"

William lifted his gaze with Ethan to meet mine. "Yes, Lillian?" he gave a slight smirk.

"It's just Lily, please. And Caleb and Ethan told me that you are a lawyer. That's interesting."

"Oh yes I am. I have been since Caleb was born. I'm a man of expertise."

"I'm sure you are. Ethan's a registrar at Holby City Hospital. I also work there as a registrar as well."

William's eyes shone with pride. "I always knew that you'll become a doctor. Ever since I got you your first doctor's play set when you were 4."

Ethan blushed. "Well, I was enthusiastic about Medicine and I'm kind of glad that you steered me into this direction."

"I always knew that I would do right by you. Not sure about Caleb, though. He seems to be alright with it."

Ethan only smiled in reply. Cal opened the door and gave Jade to Ethan.

"Here, I'll go get the stuff you needed." he said, heading back out.

"Thanks." Ethan said, putting Jade on his chest as he searched around for her stuffed duck toy.

William felt around his seat and took out the toy. "Here."

I watched as Ethan took it with a smile and went about making the teas. I got myself some blackcurrant juice and placed the beverages on a tray before making my way back into the living room and placing the tray on the coffee table.

"Fruit tea for you." I said, giving a mug to William. "It's summer fruits. I hope you like it."

"Oh, I will. Summer fruits' my favourite." He took a sip and placed the mug on a coaster. "So, Jade was it?"

I nodded, sitting beside Ethan. "Jade Rose Mei Ying Hardy." I told him.

"Just... beautiful." William breathed out with a smile. "How old is she? She looks no older than 2 months?"

I chuckled with Ethan. "Close. She's 1 month and a week old." Ethan replied. "Would you like to hold her?"

William was shocked but held his arms out. "Of course."

Ethan gently placed Jade in his father's arms and stuck her toy between his chest and her arm. "She likes you." I commented, watching my daughter stare intently at the strange man looking down at her.

"I like her too. Hello Little Miss Jade. I'm your grandfather. Soon, I hope, you'll be calling me Grandpa Will."

Seemed like Jade tamed another hard beast.

"When was she born? How much did she weigh? I want to know everything." William asked, transfixed on Jade.

I smiled at Ethan and nudged him to reply. "She was born on Friday 22nd April. She was a little thing, she was. Only six pounds."

Cal came back in and handed Ethan a duffel bag. "Well that's the last of everything."

"You sure?" Ethan asked him.

Cal scoffed, smirking. "Are _you_ sure? You're the one who packed the stuff up."

Ethan just rolled his eyes as Cal took a seat in the other armchair. "Do you want anything?" I asked him.

"I'm good for now. If I did, I'll be rummaging your fridge like I do every morning."

"Well, who knew you'd be a wreck without me." Ethan asked him, a smile playing on his lips.

Cal rolled his eyes. "Yeah, only because I forgot the milk, twice!"

We all gave him a pointed look. "Twice?" Ethan repeated.

"Fine! Maybe sixteen times but..., I'm getting used to you not being my alarm clock. I actually have to set my phone now."

Ethan rolled his eyes now. "I have Jade for that."

"Ooh, fine you win this round."

"Still getting at each other's throats, huh?" William grinned. "Well, I think this little one wants her mummy or daddy."

I stood up and took Jade from William before placing her in her play cot to sleep. "It's nearly her nap time." I said, placing a blanket over her body and kissing her head.

"Well, I would love to stay and chat but I'm afraid I have a client coming in an hour's time." Will subtly gasped, looking at the time on his watch.

Ethan looked almost disappointed as he stood up along with his father and Cal. "Well, it was nice seeing you."

"Same here." William replied, holding his hand out.

Ethan shook it and put his hands back in his pocket. "I hope you'll come to Jade's christening."

"When is it?"

"In two days time." Cal replied, checking something on his phone.

William grinned. "Consider my day free for family only."

"We hope to see you there." I smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

**Back with another chapter. I know you all crave for drama but trust me, it will all come in good time :)**

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"Bottles."

"One, two and three. Check." Ethan called out.

"Wipes."

"Check."

"Pampers."

"All ten present." Ethan joked, making me roll my eyes slightly and smile.

"Then we're good to go." I said, strapping Jade into her car seat.

Ethan grabbed the car keys from the bowl and opened the front door. "I think she needs another change. I'll be waiting." he smiled, leaving me with a crying Jade.

I sighed and unstrapped Jade from her car seat. "I guess I should change you. Your daddy seems to be the domestic one, huh?" I asked, rubbing her back as she cried.

I quickly changed her and had her strapped back into her seat before strapping her in the car. I went back to the front door and grabbed my bag and phone before shutting it behind me and getting in the back with Jade.

"We better not be late." I mumbled, putting my seatbelt on.

"Don't worry." Ethan said, messing about with his new SatNav. "We'll be there at the church in roughly fifteen minutes."

"Okay." I replied, answering a call from my mother.

...

-Cal's POV-

"Right, I'm off." I said to Robyn and Noel.

"Have Ethan and Lily chosen Jade's godparents yet?" Robyn asked, handing me a gift bag.

I nodded. "Meet you guys there in twenty." I said, backing out slowly watching Robyn's eyes glisten with curiosity.

"Is it me?" she asked.

I shrugged and smirked before leaving. I quickly got in my car and drove to my dad's to pick him up.

He got in the car and held up four gift bags. "Couldn't resist. Jade's got two presents and the other two are for Ethan and Lily."

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Sure, shower them with gifts. When was the last time we saw each other, anyway?"

He hit my on the shoulder, chuckling. "Your birthday's coming up. 34, huh? Might get you a gift then."

"Might?"

"You have ways of annoying me, Son." Dad chuckled.

I turned to face him briefly. "It feels nice to get along again."

"Yes, it is nice. I don't want what happened between your mother and I to ruin my relationship with you boys."

"It's in the past." I gulped slightly.

I groaned and gently hit the steering wheel when we were caught in some traffic. "We're not going to make it, are we?"

"Don't think anyone is by the looks of it." I replied, trying to get a good look at what was happening.

We heard sirens behind us and I manoeuvred my car to let Iain and Dixie through, giving them a cheeky wave.

"You know them?" Dad asked.

I turned to face him. "I work with them. They're paramedics."

"Ah."

I sighed, drumming my fingers against the wheel. "Perhaps I should help. I'm a doctor; they're most likely want to get an opinion."

"Help away." Dad consented.

I got out of the car and jogged up to the police 'do not cross' line. "Hi, I'm Dr. Caleb Knight, is there anything I can do to help?"

The policewoman sighed, looking around. "Uh... you have any ID?" she asked. Must have been a first timer.

"Yeah sure." I said, digging into my black jeans back pocket. I grabbed my ID card and showed it to her.

"Fair enough." she mumbled, letting me through.

I jogged up to Iain who started gently pushing me back away from the cars involved. "Sorry Cal, can't let you take this one."

"Why not?" I laughed lightly before stopping when I heard a cry. A baby's cry. A familiar cry.

I took a second glance at the one of the cars involved. My heart stopped.

"Is-Is that Lily's car?" I whispered.

Dixie came over with Jade strapped in her car seat. "Cal..." she breathed out.

I immediately took my niece from her and unstrapped her before pressing her against my chest to shush her as Dixie went on to explain what happened.

"Are they...?" My voice broke as I willed myself to stay strong for Jade.

"Lily's awake and responsive. She just has a broken wrist and some bruising. Ethan's unconscious, he may have a concussion but he's okay."

I breathed out a sigh of relief as Lily was wheeled into an ambulance by another crew. "Lily!" I called out, heading towards her.

She handed me her phone and bag before kissing Jade's head. "Look after her. And call my mum."

I nodded, accepting her hug as I rushed towards my father who stood at the side of the same police woman who let me in. As I got closer I could hear him plead with the woman.

"Let me in, I want to know what's taking my son so-" he stopped when he saw I had Jade in my arms. "Is that-"

"Jade, yes. Ethan and Lily are okay. They were clipped by a car whose driver had an heart attack."

Dad sighed, rubbing his face. "Well, she's obviously not settling down with you carrying her like that. Hand her over here."

I gave Jade to my father and retrieved her car seat from Iain who said he would meet us at Holby.

"I'll drive. You stay at the back with Jade and check if she wants a feed."

"I-I don't know how-"

"Caleb. Your brother needs you to look after his daughter for him. Can you do that?"

I stared at Jade who looked up at my dad with curious eyes. "I can." I whispered hoarsely.

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 **Here's the drama ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm sorry! Same thing happened to my other story. I had a file of Casualty chapters and they got deleted but I retrieved them back so enjoy! x**

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I anxiously waited for news on Lily and Ethan as I sat Jade on my knee, patting her back as my right hand supported her chest.

"God, what's taking them so long?" My father muttered, handing me over Jade's bottle.

"They have to be thorough with these things, Dad." I said, feeding Jade. "Concussions could lead to something serious, like a bleed or-or death."

Dad nodded, sighing. "Bring her here. I can't have you choking up my granddaughter as you worry for my son."

I sighed, passing Jade over to him. "Another reason why I'm not fit to be a dad, yet. I'm choking my niece with her milk."

"You're worried, Caleb. There's no reason why you shouldn't be focused on other things but this is a baby, you have to be careful otherwise you'll end up in the morgue. I spoke to a lovely young lady outside who works with you and she gave me a very descriptive run down of Lily. Apparently, she can have your head for dinner.

I chuckled. "Yeah, Lily's... she's a fighter." I smiled fondly.

Dad noticed. "Thinking that you should have hit that while you could?"

I gasped. "Dad! No! Oh my God! Why would you even...?" I shivered. "I love Lily but as a sister."

"So, there was nothing between the two of you? I noticed your looks to her."

"Dad, I am not secretly pining for my brother's future wife. I can assure you that. And no, I am not Jade's secret father. Do you really have the most disturbing law cases that you think your own sons are that messed up?" I asked, chuckling.

Dad shrugged. "You'll never know. So, what's the thing between you and Lily if it isn't 'secret affairs'."

"A mate and I placed a bet that I could get Lily into bed. Didn't exactly work out and I got out of that with my face and ego bruised. Who knew that Ethan could throw a good right hook?"

"Ah..., and I bet she slapped you?"

"The full Lily experience. But I understood where she was coming from. And Ethan for that matter. He was her best friend and he wanted to protect her from my womanising ways. So, I don't wish that I had 'hit that' but I wish that we could have become friends on better terms but we're good now. Especially since I see her becoming my new sister in the near future."

"What do you mean?" Dad grinned.

"Ethan's proposing soon. He was going to today but Lily had kind of shut down the question so he's going to try again."

Dad smiled, burping Jade. "Well, I'm happy for them. And this little princess too!" he said in a ridiculously annoying baby's voice.

...

"Jade!" Lily breathed out, reaching her arms out to take her daughter off me. "Mummy missed you so much, but she guesses that Grandpa and Uncle Cal took good care of you and you need a change." she frowned, giving me back her daughter.

"Sorry," I chuckled, kissing Jade's head.

"How's Ethan? Zoe's not telling me anything." Lily asked, nervously biting her lip.

I shrugged, "Sorry, Lils. I'll go and check on him and soon as I have Jade changed."

"No, do it now. I'll get her sorted out." Dad said, taking my niece off me. "Just go and check that my son isn't going to end up dead."

"You do realise that I was joking about that."

"No! The dead seriousness in your voice showed it (!)" Dad mumbled, leaving.

I kissed Lily's head and went to find Connie, coming out of Ethan's cubicle.

"He's fine, before you ask. He wants to see Lily and Jade."

"Ouch, not me?" I joked, following her back to Ethan.

Connie sighed, gesturing to me. "Look what I've picked up for you. It's sadly not your girlfriend or daughter but it's something... close enough." she said, leaving.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Caleb."

"I know you are." I smiled. "But you did give me and Dad heart attacks. As soon as I heard Jade's cry, I froze."

"Is she okay? Kids sense this kind of things. Was she a problem? Can I see her? I bet she's so scared, isn't she-"

"She's okay. Dad's changing her. Just... relax, yeah? And I'll get Lily to see you soon."

"Thanks, Cal."

"Any time, bro. Any time." I smiled at him, going back to Lily.

Lily looked up expectantly. "Well?"

"He's going to live. Nothing serious."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"Well, he's still the same old rambling idiot but he'll live."

"He's my rambling idiot though." Lily smiled.


End file.
